To Be A True Master - The Journey of a Lifetime 1
by B. Juster II
Summary: The (long) story of a new pokemon trainer, his quest for a legendary evil that he released, and all his adventures along the way


  
  
  
TO BE A TRUE MASTER - THE JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME  
  
  
  
Part 1. *My First Pokemon*  
  
  
  
  
"Professor Oak! Professor!!!!" I exploded into the office of Professor Martin Oak with enough force, and timing, that I thoroughly smashed Oak's aide into the wall behind the door. Oak looked down at his poor aide, who slumped to the floor, then shut the door as he leaned against it.   
"Professor! I.... I got a Charmander!"  
Oak looked at me skeptically as he helped his aide into a chair. "That's very good, Jack. But where did you find one? There aren't any Charmanders around Pallet."  
"I bought it from a guy at the library for $60. He said this pokemon was very special."  
"Well, I'll just have to see about that," Oak said, accepting the pokeball I tossed him. "I'll give Charmander a scan, you'd better start to your chores."  
"Yessir," I replied excitedly, racing out the door. I tossed my backpack beside Professor Oak's back door and picked up the outside broom. My mind began to wander as I vigorously swept the rock path leading through Professor Oak's Pokemon packed backyard.   
I was 11 years old, and, like most kids my age, aspired to fight pokemon. Unfortunately, I had never gotten a chance until then. I lived with my older brother, as our parents had died in an earthquake while photographing pokemon in Rock Tunnel. Professor Oak had hired me to help him around his Pokemon preserve a little over 4 months ago, for four dollars an hour, a lot for an 11 year old. I now had almost $700 saved up, which I planned to use in my journey to catch up with Ash.   
I planned to follow Ash Ketchum, who had left Pallet two months earlier. Professor Oak said he would make a very good companion, and since I had had no experience yet in pokemon fighting, I could learn from Ash.  
Just two weeks ago, while walking through the grasses that surrounded Pallet Town, I had found a pokeball through sheer luck. Then a pidgey had attacked me, and in the ensuing scuffle, Pidgey had gotten trapped in my new pokeball, forever mine. Unfortunately, Pidgey was not very powerful, and I had not been able to train him very much.  
"Eeeeeeeeekaaaaaaannnnns," a raspy voice hissed from the ground. I looked down and glared at the small snake which had wrapped itself around my leg. I uncurled the snake from my leg and allowed him to wrap around my broom, increasing my work, but making the Ekans happy. "Mime! Mime!"  
Mr. Mime appeared from around the pond, sweeping back and forth across the path with his small broom. "Hey, Mime," I said, tipping my cap to the pokemon as we passed in our sweeping rounds.   
"Mime," he chirped back.  
"Jack!" Professor Oak shouted from the back door. "Your Charmander is ready!"  
"Yeah," I yelled, dropping my broom and rushing past Oak into his office. "Debrief me, sir," I said as I picked up the pokeball on Oak's scanning machine.  
"Well," Oak said, entering the office quietly. "He is special after all. He is very strong for his size and age, and, most incredibly, I believe he can learn any attack. If he observes another pokemon using an attack he does not have, he will learn it after seeing it two or three times. He can learn up to 4 or 5 dozen additional attacks."  
"Wow," I said, looking at my pokeball. "Go, Charmander!" I said, pressing the button in the center of the pokeball. Charmander appeared in the center of the room. "Char! Charmander!" it cried, ambling over to inspect me. I ran my hand over its smooth head, and it, apparently deciding to accept me as its trainer, sat down beside my leg.  
  
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Part 2. *The Journey Begins*  
  
  
  
"Ching!" The bell on the Poke-mart store's door rang loudly as I entered, looking around in wonder at the new products that I now needed. I grabbed 10 pokeballs, three potions, several full heals, a dozen tins of pokemon food, and 2 dozen of canned 'Trainer's Rations' and dumped them on the counter. That'll be $60 please," the cashier said. I quickly payed him, put my supplies into my beat-up old backpack, and left the store.  
My brother never cared what I did, and he was usually gone for weeks at a time as he made long trips to a secret location. I left a note on the kitchen table, retrieved my pidgey from my room, and left, taking my bike with me. I left a note at Professor Oak's before riding out the gates of the city, free from my stifling life at last.  
I put almost three miles of distance between Pallet town and me before slowing down to admire the beautiful spring sunset.   
"NIDO!"   
For a moment I was disoriented, then found myself on the ground, my bike ten feet away from me. A dark blur shot past my bike, coming towards me.   
With a grunt, I rolled over and tried to stand up.   
WHAM! An entire lungful of air I had just sucked in whooshed out twice as quickly, as something heavy slammed into my back, using me for a springboard as it made a triumphant leap into the cool air.  
"Nido! Nido nido!"   
I stood up, still dizzy and confused, and looked around for my pokeballs. The blur appeared a hundred feet up the road, turning and charging back at me, clouds of dust kicking up behind it. Scrambling over to a nearby white object, I pressed the trigger on it, and in a flash of red light, my pidgey leapt into the darkening sky.   
"PIIIIIDGGEEEEEE-" The blur tackled Pidgey as it lifted into the air. Both animals fell to the ground, Pidgey crowing loudly in surprise.  
I pulled a pokeball from a special compartment of my backpack and hurled it into action. "Go, my super Charmander!" I yelled, the 'super' part just coming out in the glory of the moment.  
As Charmander exited his pokeball, my assailant was administering quite a beating to Pidgey, standing on its hind legs and throwing powerful punchlike moves, keeping Pidgey hopping around.  
"CHARMANDER!" my pokemon cried. I smirked, expecting Charmander to leap into the fight. He didn't. Instead, he flared up his tail flame, lighting up the dirt road. I finally got a good look at the enemy. It was a Nidoran, but I couldn't tell which gender. Pidgey gave an especially loud shriek and ran towards me, flapping its wings, the Nidoran chasing it.   
I pulled out the pokedex I had recently received from Professor Oak.   
"Nidoran-Male. Small and tenacious, this pokemon uses fighting techniques such as double kick, fury swipes, and tackle."  
Charmander turned his head to the side and something approximating a smile crossed his face as he watched Pidgey rush past him, alternating between hopping and tripping. "Char char-char-char-char," Charmander chuckled and braced himself in front of the Nidoran.  
Uh oh, I thought, trying to remember Charmander's attacks. "Uhh, mega punch? Uhhh.... flamethrower?" I started hopping up and down as I frantically pressed buttons, and yelling out random attacks, hoping Charmander knew one of them.  
The Nidoran leapt at Charmander, forepaws extended. "NIIIIIDDOORRRAAAAA-" The Nidoran's long jump was foiled as Charmander extended its claws and made a violent swing, sending Nidoran tumbling head over heels to the ground. Pidgey, who had finally turned to face the battle scene, was knocked down as the squealing Nidoran dropped onto him.   
Nidoran and Pidgey jumped up together, Pidgey flapping his wings and gaining altitude. Charmander's eyes glowed, his leer attack. Nidoran shrank back a little, his bravery temporarily sapped. "Charmander, Ember attack," I yelled.  
Charmander slammed its paws into the ground, burying them several inches. "CHAAAAAAAAAAR!!!" The ground gave a dull thud, then suddenly, a wall of flames sprang from the ground, extending twenty feet wide and far, reaching as high as two feet.   
"NIDOOOOOOO!" Nidoran wailed as it disappeared in the roiling flames. Charmander withdrew his paws from the ground and the flames disappeared, leaving the ground smoking. Nidoran lay in a coiled ball in the road, its hard skin slightly blackened.   
I twirled my hat so it faced backwards and took a pokeball from my backpack. Throwing it straight and true, I yelled "Pokeball go!"   
Nidoran was sucked into the pokeball the moment it hit him. The Pokeball quivered slightly, then the red indicator light faded. "Yes! I caught Nidoran!" I yelled to the countryside, throwing my hat into the air.  
  
My small pile of ignited sticks, surrounded by a circle of stones, sprang to life as Charmander dipped his flaming tail into the fireplace. "Thanks, Charmander," I said quietly, smiling at the pokemon.   
"Chaaar," Charmander cried softly.   
"And not just for the fire. Thanks for helping catch Nidoran, and for obeying me in battle. Does this mean we'll be friends?"  
Charmander cocked his head, then turned to the side and held his tail out to me. Unsure of what this meant, I activated Pokedex. "Charmander's way of showing trust. If he trusts a trainer, then the flame on the end of his tail will not hurt the trainer."  
"Oh well, here goes nothing," I extended my hand, and touched his flame. Instantly, images that must have been Charmander's memories flooded through my mind in a matter of seconds. The first bit of light he saw when hatching from his egg, his capture and passage to several different trainers, then his first impression of me. Comfort. Trust.  
After I had eaten a light dinner, and fed my three pokemon, I gave them the option of sleeping in our out of their pokeballs. Nidoran, not surprisingly, hardly even looked at me, but went straight back in his pokeball. Pidgey wrapped his wings around his body and fell asleep near the warm stones of the fire. Charmander found it too cold outside and disappeared into his pokeball. After setting up my sleeping bag, I carefully tucked my two pokeballs inbetween Pidgey's wings, then put a blanket over the bird.   
  
"Piiiiiiiidg!" Pidgey's shrill cry woke me up the next morning, but I went back to sleep. The annoying bird beat me with his wings for three minutes, until I finally rolled out of my sleeping bag. "Okay, okay, pidgey, I'm up."  
"Dgey!" The pokemon said, hopping away into the forest for his breakfast, apparently satisfied that I was awake.   
Suddenly, I realized the fire was burning, and a can of pokemon food was was heating up on the stones. "What the..."   
"Char! Charmander!" Charmander walked into camp, carrying a small stack of firewood. I watched in amusement as the small pokemon dumped the sticks beside the fire, then picked one up and started poking at the fire.   
"Did you do all this, Charmander?"  
"Char!"   
My eyes widened and I stepped back. I had understood what he said! This was too weird! "Charm?" Charmander cocked his head at me. "Ch! Mander char char!"   
"Oh," I said, nodding my head. "So, when I touched your tail, I also got the ability to understand you, cool!"  
Charmander clumsily picked up the steaming can of pokemon food, then rapidly struck it against the stones several times. It cracked open, and as if on cue, Pidgey hopped back into camp, crowing cheerfully. "Charmander!" Charmander said, turning to me.   
"Okay, well, good morning Pidgey," I said, turning to pick up Nidoran's pokeball. "Go, Nidoran!"  
"Nidoran!" Nidoran cried as it formed in the clearing. He stood with legs spread apart defiantly, glaring around at Charmander, Pidgey, and me. Charmander, the little cook, stirring his food, paid no attention, though I noticed his tail flared up a little.  
The little fighting pokemon sniffed the air, then made a short leap to the fire, grabbing a piece of the tin of pokemon food and sitting down happily, not glaring anymore. "Well he's easy to please," I said, scratching my head.   
"Charmander?" My little cook asked.  
"No, Charmander, I won't waste my rations, I'll wait until we get to Viridian city, it's only an hour or two away."  
Charmander shrugged and began packing away the remaining food. I chuckled as I watched the little pokemon walking around our campsite, like a little kid. "Has anyone ever told you you're a strange little guy, Charmander?" I asked as I rolled up my sleeping bag.  
"Chaaaaaar!" He cried with a grin.   
  
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Part 3. *The Road to Viridian City*   
  
  
  
  
  
  
Pidgey soared high into the air, crowing loudly with joy. I followed behind him on my bike, watching my bird dip and twirl in the warming morning air. I had let Pidgey out to guide me along the path, and to scout it out ahead from his high distance. As I rode along, keeping one eye on Pidgey, I contemplated how to get Pidgey some experience in battle, and hopefully make him stronger. I could do some techniques to train up his gust attack, but that would take forever. The best way was for him to actually battle another pokemon....  
I put on the brakes and looked at the field of waving grass I was passing. Dropping my bike I called up to Pidgey. He came diving back down to earth and fluttered over to me. "Dgey?"  
"Follow me, Pidgey, but be ready to fight."  
Pidgey looked worried, but he faithfully hopped after me. "Rattt...." The grass rustled as something moved away. I whirled, Pidgey croaked softly.  
7"Rattata! Rattata! Rattata! Rattata! Rattata! Rattata!" Six or more Rattatas suddenly came running towards me, the grass parting as they arrived from different directions.   
"Pidgey," I yelled, as the bird flew up. "Gust attack!"  
Pidgey shrieked and went through a complicated manuever, twisting and twirling to gain air pressure. He flapped his wings mightily, and the grass started to blow like in a storm. Dust and rocks flew up and started twirling into a funnel. More air was added to the mixture, and the rattatas were sucked into the maelstrom of air. "RAAAAAAAAATTTTTTT!" Rattatas start popping out of the storm every second, hurtling away into the field, still howling. I ducked as the funnel began to die down, spitting small rocks and clouds of sand out in all directions.   
Pidgey fluttered to the ground, crying out its name excitedly. "Wow, Pidgey! You just knocked out a whole pack of rattatas single'wing'edly!"  
"Ratttttt..." a large rattata remained on the ground several feet away, wavering on its feet unsteadily. I looked at Pidgey, shrugged and pulled out a pokeball. What the heck, I had to catch lots of pokemon anyway, that was what Professor Oak wanted.  
I rode into Viridian City an hour later, and immediately went to the pokecenter to give my pokemon (including a new rattata) a well-deserved rest. I ate a quick brunch at a diner, then went to the nearest videophone. Dialing in Professor Oak's number, I picked up the phone and turned the screen on.  
"Hello?" Professor Oak said as he materialized on the screen.  
"Hi, Professor Oak!" I said.  
"Oh, Jack," Oak said with a sigh of relief. "I was getting worried about you. You should have told me personally that you were leaving. I could have given you some pokemon!"  
"It's cool, Profesor. I caught a Nidoran and Rattata, and Pidgey's finally getting stronger. And you were right about Charmander! He's strong, and he used Nidoran's own fury swipes last night to catch him!"  
"You've already caught two? My goodness, you may catch more pokemon than Ash, he has only caught 15 or 20 in the two or three months he's been gone."  
"Wow! Well, I've got to go, I'm hoping to make it at least into the start of Viridian Forest before nightfall."  
"Very well. Goodbye, Jack, good luck. And please send me all the pokemon you don't need!"  
"Yessir!" I turned the videophone off and started off to the pokecenter.  
"Here you go," Nurse Joy said, handing my pokeballs over the counter. I turned and bumped into two teenagers. The boy wore white pants and a white shirt with a red 'R' on the front. The girl was similiarly clothed, with a short white skirt and shirt with a red 'R'. I also noticed she had a very strange hairdo. The two carelessly dropped their two pokeballs over the counter and leaned against it, arguing angrily.  
"We could'of had Pikachu if you hadn't fallen out of that tree while we were waiting, JAMES!"   
"It wasn't my fault! Meowth punched me!"  
"Hey! Could I help it if there was a bug on your back? Meeeeowth! No way! I was doin' you a favor!"  
I looked down, seeing a meowth, who was also heavily involved in the fight. He was talking! Now I've seen everything, I thought.   
"WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?" All three said simultaneously, glaring at me.   
"Hey, I was just wondering if you wanted a Pikachu," I said.  
"Of course we want a pikachu you little-"  
The boy shoved the angry girl out of the way and smiled politely. "Why yes, we would love to have a pikachu, but we just cannot seem to capture one!"  
"I can help you," I said. "One of my pokemon is almost made for capturing enemy pokemon, he can kinda mimic their attacks. And I'm heading into Viridian forest, where there are Pikachus."  
"We would love to join you," the boy said. "My name is James, and the redhead is Jessie."  
"I'm Jack. Jack Soniq," I said with a grin.  
"So," I asked, as they followed me out of the pokecenter after receiving their pokemon. "What's with the 'R', and those uniforms?"  
"Umm, it stands for 'Really Reliable', and we wear them because we are.... Sophisticated, we dislike wearing street clothes."  
"Ohh, okay," I said. "I'll go ahead into the forest and scout things out, you guys follow me and I'll send my pidgey to come get you when I need you, 'kay?"  
"Okay," Jessie said, but I could swear she looked like she was barely holding in her temper. The Meowth also glared at James. I mounted my bike and rode off into the forest. Behind me I heard a loud smack! Then the three began a heated argument.  
I had only been biking along the tree-surrounded path for five or 6 minutes when I heard a collection of cackles, squawks and shrieks of birds. Coming to a quiet halt, I hid my bike and crept up behind some tall bushes. A flock of birds were grouped together in a clearing. In my quick estimation, there were maybe five or six spearows, 3 doduos, a dodrio and a pidgeotto!  
I snapped out pidgey's pokeball, walked away from the clearing, and released Pidgey. "Pidgey, go back and find two people in white uniforms, bring them back here, but quietly!"  
Pidgey nodded and disappeared over the tree-tops. I brought out Charmander and we sat patiently behind the bushes, waiting for Jessie and James. About six minutes later, the two came running up the road with their meowth following them. They were pretty fast. I wondered if they ran a lot.  
"Hi, guys," I whispered.  
"Did you find a Pikachu?" James asked excitedly.  
"No, but I found something better, guys," I said, parting the bushes slightly.  
The two teenagers looked through, and Jessie looked indignant. James looked interested. "It's just some spearows and doduos!" Jessie said.  
"Yeah, but they can be useful. What pokemon do you have?"  
"Weezing, Victreebell, Lickitung and Arbok," James said.  
"I'll tell you what," I said. "If you lend me your weezing, I'll knock these birds out, and you can have a spearow, doduo and dodrio."  
The three frowned and held a quiet conversation. I could barely make out the words 'boss', 'rare pokemon', and 'pikachu'. "Okay," Jessie said, tossing me a pokeball.  
"Weezing!" the ugly pokemon said as it looked at its owners, then me. "Okay, Weezing go into the clearing and use smog!"  
Weezing left, and I turned to Charmander. "Charmander, use ember attack. Pidgey, fly up and use gust!"  
"WEEZING!" An explosion of foul gas erupted from behind the bushes and the air was suddenly filled with cackles and shrieks. Pidgey shrieked and flapped his wings. As Charmander and I entered the clearing, Pidgey's gust took effect. It all became chaotic then.  
Weezing was blown away into Jessie and James. Meowth started hollering loudly. Pidgey's gust started sweeping away the smog. Doduos, Spearows, Pidgeottos and dodrios alike all began to whirl around the air in a tangled mess. They fell to the ground, and hit just as Charmander stabbed his paws into the ground.  
Flames sprang up, and the birds began to struggle, running around inside the inferno. "Hold it, Charmander!" I yelled over the doduos's shrill shrieks. "Jessie! James! Pokeballs!"  
Jessie stumbled into the clearing, bumping into Charmander. My Pokemon cried out and fell, his attack dropping. The other birds were laying on the ground twitching, but pidgeotto stood in the smoking battleground, glaring defiantly.   
"Arbok, wrap!" Jessie yelled. An Arbok hissed and crashed into Pidgeotto, circling around the bird and squeezing. Pidgeotto squawked pathetically, and toppled, allowing Arbok to unwrap himself and slither back into his pokeball. James tossed me three pokeballs and we started throwing. Zips filled the air as two spearows, two doduos, dodrio, and pidgeotto were pulled into their pokeballs.  
The pokeballs twitched, then they all stilled. Jessie and James screamed and started dancing around ecstatically, Meowth hanging onto Weezing as the poison Pokemon rocked back and forth crying "Weezing! Weezing!"  
I threw my hat into the air and hugged Charmander. Pidgey swooped and caught my hat, hopping over to give it back to me. I hugged both my pokemon, then stood up to help Jessie and James sort out the new pokemon.  
The two were still dancing and laughing like they had never caught any pokemon before. "Yay yaya yaay! we caught dodrio! wahoo! yipee!!!!"  
Jessie crossed her arms and stared at me. "Well, it's good to have a little luck once in a while!"   
"Meeeeowth, that's right!" The meowth said.  
I shook my head and tossed them their three new pokemon, tucking Pidgeotto, Spearow and Doduo into my backpack. We traveled for several hours more, our progress slowed by the dense forest and by Jessie and James stopping every few minutes to bring out their new pokemon. We found nothing new, except a caterpie, which dove into the forest. I chased him for half an hour, Jessie and James trying to get me back on the trail.  
"We're lost and you know it!" Jessie yelled at James when we stopped for the night.  
"No we're not, we're just temporarily misplaced," James said, turning a map to look at it from a different angle. "We'll find a way out in the morning, but for now let's just eat and go to sleep!"  
Charmander and I stared at the two teenager as we cooked some tins of food over the fire. "Charmaaaander!" Charmander said, shrugging his small shoulder.  
"My sentiments exactly," I grinned and yelled out to the two. "Hey guys, dinner's ready!"  
"Well it's about time," James said. "I'm starving! Even more so than when we went up into that icy mountain after-" Jessie elbowed James and he shut up.  
James scowled terribly after his first bite of the Trainer's Rations. "This is terrible! I can't eat this stuff!"  
"Hey, this is all I got," I said. "Unless you'd rather share a meal with Pidgey, which reminds me..." I pulled out my three new pokeballs and activated them.  
"Speeeeeeeeearow!"   
"DOOOOOOOO"  
"DGEEEEEEOTTTTTTOOOOOO!"  
"You guys go find your dinner, and be back in 30 minutes," I ordered. The three birds squawked and took off.  
"I think I'll eat this stuff," James said as he heard a mouse squeak in the forest before Doduo let out a triumphant cry.   
  
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Part 4. The Electricity Storm!  
  
  
  
  
KABOOOOOM! I shot up from my sleeping bag just in time to see what appeared to be the great migration as hundreds of birds burst from the treetops. Pidgeys, spearows, and all other birds in the forest leapt from their perches and flapped up into the night, filling the air with feathers and screeches. The air light up with another colossal flash, followed by a boom. I reached for my backpack to get my raincoat, but hesitated. There were no clouds. No rain was falling. Then it dawned on me.   
Pokedex's definition of Pikachu.... 'When several of these pokemon gather, their electricity could build and cause lightning storms.'  
Another light stabbed into the sky, making night into day. I scrambled up instantly and ran over to James. I shook him a hard as I can, rolling him completely over. He snored on. I lightly slapped his cheeks, nothing. "WAKE UP!" I yelled into his ear.  
"No, mommy, I still want to catch Pikachu...." James curled up into a ball.  
I glared, then got an idea. Leaning near his ear, I imitated a pikachu. "Pi-ka-chu!"  
James shot up. "Jessie! Let's go! Pikachu! We almost have him, common!" In about 5 seconds, Jessie, James and Meowth had awakened, rolled up their sleeping bags, packed up their backpacks, and were putting out the fire.  
I quickly packed up my things. Jessie and James didn't even notice me, they were so busy fighting. "Common guys, let's go!"  
James instantly caught up with me, but Jessie and Meowth hesitated. "Let's go, people! Just follow the boy, we have nothing better to do!"  
"What about sleep?" Meowth demanded, scampering after James.  
  
  
A line of electricity shot past me and Charmander as we ran through the forest. Jessie and James ducked the blast, lighting up their faces. They were both grinning like idiots. In the distance, I could hear chanting.   
"Pi-pika-pikachu.... pi-pika-pikachu.... pi-pika-pikachu...."  
I peekd through the bushes, and saw a beautiful scene. Dozens of Pikachu were lined up on the edge of a cliff, rocking back and forth, chanting to the moon. Sparks shot from each Pokemon, forming into jolts of electricity which shot off into the night. I ducked awa yfrom the bushes, a thunderjolt singing the bushes where my head had been a moment ago.  
Jessie and James were so excited they nearly charged right through the thin bushes up onto the plateau where the electric storm was coming from. I grabbed the two, and using all my strength, yanked them back. "What are you doing?" Jessie demanded furiously.  
"Are you crazy?" I whispered. You go out there with ten or twenty pikachu blasting away. you'll fry like Kentucky Chickens! We've gotta break them up, isolate 'em!"  
"Right!" Meowth said. "We can use Weezing's Smog, then throw a fighting pokemon in to confuse them."  
"Charmander! You start studying their attacks, gather electricity and prepare for thundershock! Nidoran, go!"  
Nidoran popped out from his pokeball the same as Weezing. "Nidoran!" "Weezing!"  
"Nidoran, jump into that Pikachu group and start tackling at random, be as fierce as you can!"  
"Weezing, use smog!" James turned to me and grinned.  
The familiar blast of smog came, but was cut short. Weezing roared and came flying back, smoking. The smog was just enough. Nidoran screeched and dove onto the plateau, disappearing into the cloud of black smoke. I felt sorry for the pikachus as they cried out in surprise. Wham! Bam! Whap whap! Badadadadadam!  
I could guess from the sounds that Nidoran was being successful. The smog cleared, showing two pikachu remaining, in a desperate match with Nidoran. Nidoran punched back and forth, keeping the Pikachus off balance. Every few seconds, one of the pikachus would get in a successful tiny blast of electricity. Nidoran finally dealt a huge blow to one of the pikachus, sending him flying over to the edge of the plateau.   
"CHAAAAAARMANDER!!!" Nidoran dove out of the way not a moment too soon. A blast of electricity shot from Charmander's tiny fists. The pikachu in the center of the plateau stood still, arms outstretched, howling as it lit up with electricity. Charmander held the attack for nearly twenty seconds, before Pikachu finally whimpered and collapsed.  
"PIIIIII!! PIKA PIKA!!!"   
"Jessie, James and I raced to the edge of the rock cliff. To my horror, I found the other pikachu barely holding onto a small plant far down the cliff. There was nothing below it but a rocky ground 300 feet down. I was frantic, and even Jessie and James looked worried.  
  
To Be Continued.....   
  
  
By the way, if you liked this story (it DOES get better, I swear!) but you can't find the rest of it (I have 13 parts right now) go to the 'choose categories' bar at the upper right of the fanfiction.net homepage, choose 'authors' and type in 'Juster' - then the rest of my story should come up. Faretheewell. Send any comments to brenndon_juster@hotmail.com - I'd love to hear from you, I practically live for fan mail.  
I'm dedicating this story to my 11 year old friend Jeffrey Shi, who first introduced me to the world of Pokemon.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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